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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25178800">Mania, Magic, and Mischief</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merlin_would_love_vines/pseuds/Merlin_would_love_vines'>Merlin_would_love_vines</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Gen, George aspires to be an actor and this is his breakout role, Good Morgana (Merlin), Hunith adopted both Arthur and Morgana, Merlin is a Little Shit, Morgana Knows about Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Oblivious Arthur, Uther is basically a rotisserie chicken here</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:22:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,360</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25178800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merlin_would_love_vines/pseuds/Merlin_would_love_vines</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A timeline in which Merlin tells Morgana about his magic and they work together to protect (and prank) Arthur and camelot. This fic is just a few examples of their shenanigans.</p><p>And Morgana may or may not be an arsonist.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gwen &amp; Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen &amp; Merlin (Merlin), Gwen &amp; Morgana (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table &amp; Merlin (Merlin), Merlin &amp; Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin &amp; Morgana (Merlin), Morgana &amp; Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>301</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Mania, Magic, and Mischief</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi, this work is partially inspired by posts by extrahawkins and merlinmagicmania on Tumblr. I don't know what else to say but thanks for reading, enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Merlin dove into a roll, barely avoiding the fireball hurling towards where his body had been seconds prior. He turned quickly from his crouched position to send back a magical attack of his own, a slight grin crossed his face when the blow landed squarely in the shoulder of his adversary and they staggered back.</p><p>Rising slowly, and still breathing hard from escaping his near cooking, Merlin tried to put all the authority he had into his stance. But as he leveled the other sorcerer with a glare, the man started laughing. Merlin started a mental count to three and right on cue the villain started monologuing. Merlin rolled his eyes as the man across from him drawled on and on: the servant had heard the speech hundreds of times before with only slight variations between each one.</p><p>He was almost convinced that perhaps there was a club that all of Camelot's enemies attended to practice lines and phrases for evil speeches. If such a place existed, Merlin truly hoped they would come up with some new material.</p><p>"You think a user of magic with so little power could defeat me?" Merlin tuned in enough to catch the end of the speech and sighed. Then he scratched the back of his neck and raised his other hand in a one-armed shrug.</p><p>"You know, I guess I can't," The dark-haired boy held back his smile as he watched the confusion play out on his opponent's features. They never expected the wizard to just give up so easily. It made it all so much more enjoyable for the servant and he loved this next bit the most. Releasing the withheld smile with a slight tilting of the head, Merlin pointed over the man's shoulder innocently.</p><p>"But she can."</p><p>Before the villain could even process the words, Morgana swung a thick stick (more of a short log really) straight at the poor man's head. Merlin watched the almost comical scene as unfocused eyes rolled back into the evil-doer's skull and his knees hit the ground with a hollow thud. A slight finger push from Morgana had the rest of him following, leaves flying up from the forest floor as his face crashed into the slightly damp ground.</p><p>"How did you ever manage to do this without me?" Morgana twirled the stick over her victim. Merlin softly laughed and gave her a shrug as he walked over. Truth be told he didn't remember how he had managed before he had Morgana to help him protect Arthur and fight Camelot's enemies. But he was glad for it.</p><p>It was nearly a season past since the girl had confided in him and he had decided the dragon and Gaius were fools and told her of his magic as well. Merlin had come to regard it as the best decision of his life.</p><p>After that night, they would have almost daily magic lessons, which Morgana loved. She was an excellent student and being able to use magic frequently put an end to her nightmares. She still had visions, but they now came in the form of peaceful dreams. Though the girl still occasionally wanted to off Uther, and Merlin couldn't help but share her eagerness to do so the smallest bit, though he'd never tell her that of course. Instead, he continually reminded himself and his friend that one day Arthur would be king.</p><p>Arthur wasn't like his father, he could be shown reason and eventually allow magic and unite the lands, and Morgana believed in her almost-brother as much as she despised Uther. But Arthur was neither mature nor ready enough for that responsibility yet. So waiting until his idiot father died was the best thing they could do, even though they had to save the kingdom because of something the King had done constantly. Morgana still grumbled every time Merlin explained this to her, but she knew he was right and always grudgingly agreed.</p><p>Merlin toed at the unconscious body on the ground when a strange smell wafted to his nose. He sniffed at the air and tossed a puzzled look over to Morgana. She was wearing an odd expression: eyebrows raised high and mouth tightly shut, lips quivering.</p><p>The smell was something acrid, Merlin determined with another sniff. When he raised a brow at his companion that seemed the final straw.</p><p>Laughter burst from the sorceress and she lifted a jerking hand to point above him. Looking skyward, Merlin saw wisps of smoke snaking through the air. His earlier escape rushed back to him and Merlin didn't need to see himself to realize that his hair was singed.</p><p>He released a sound of panic and started furiously patting the top of his head.</p><p>Morgana only laughed harder.</p><p>*</p><p>
  <em>Look at him, the prat has no clue that he almost died yesterday.</em>
</p><p>Morgana smirked at Merlin's bitter comment. He was referring to Arthur. They were in a council meeting and the Prince sat with chin in hand, looking bored. Clueless as usual.</p><p>
  <em>He looks like he's trying not to pick his nose.</em>
</p><p>That actually got Morgana to snicker and she glanced over to see that Arthur's finger was suspiciously close to his nose.</p><p>Oh how glad was she that Merlin had taught her telepathic communication. Hearing someone else's voice in her head was unsettling at first, but she had come to love hearing Merlin's little remarks in her mind. Their telepathy allowed them to always stay connected and could be useful on occasion. But they mostly used it to insult people - people being Arthur. It was one of her favorite magical abilities, that and starting fires. She loved starting fires. That little fact concerned Merlin greatly, especially when she used Uther as her kindling. Which wasn't as often as she would like, but sometimes she would indulge herself when the King would be so overbearingly hateful.</p><p>Uther was convinced it was a ghost tormenting him and Gaius said there was nothing to do but wait until it finished it's business and moved on to the afterlife. No one but the two sorcerers knew what was really happening. It was just another of their fun secrets, like their telepathy. Or so they thought.</p><p>Little did they know that the Knights watched them like hawks during every council meeting. They knew something was odd between the two but just couldn't figure out quite what it was.</p><p>Elyan was convinced they had made their own nonverbal language consisting of raised eyebrows and smirking. Gwaine believed this theory and it was a serious topic between the knights during their breaks at sparring practice. Lancelot silently laughed through it all. He knew the two had magic and it delighted him to no end to watch his fellow knights wrack their minds as to what was up with the servant and King's Ward.</p><p>When Gwaine had asked his opinion on the matter, the Spaniard had plainly told him they spoke telepathically. Gwaine took it as a dry joke and had shoved his shoulder, asking what he really thought, to which Lance's response was only a shrug.</p><p>He watched as the knights started elbowing each other and nodding up to the front of the throneroom. They had all caught Morgana's earlier smirk, watching the two dark-haired individuals without a clue as to the mental conversation they were incapable of hearing. Every twitch of an eyebrow made all the knights but Lancelot fidget with excitement. If only they knew what the cause of that twitch was.</p><p>
  <em>I swear Merlin, if you knocked him over the head you'd surely hear his walnut brain rattling around in that thick skull of his.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As if he had a brain to begin with.</em>
</p><p>Morgana could not control the laughter that erupted from her in that moment and neither could Merlin as he watched her laugh. Every eye in the room was on them in an instant. And the knights were practically bouncing with giddy excitement at the too coincidental interruptions.</p><p>Merlin's eyes widened and he brought a fist to his mouth, fake coughing into it. He refused to look up and meet Uther's glare. And he just knew that Arthur had that stupid half-confused, half-sneering expression wiped all over his face. The manservant's cover up apparently worked because the King turned to the not so lucky Morgana, hands on his hips.</p><p>But the ravenette just couldn't stop her giggling and it took her several moments to compose herself. She finally cleared her throat and looked Uther in the eye. A smile still cracked through when she spoke.</p><p>"Apologies Sire. I was just remembering something humorous Gwen told me earlier." From her place behind the Ward, Gwen scrunched her eyebrows. But Uther seemed to buy it and turned back to address a citizen of Camelot visiting the court.</p><p>The rest of the meeting was rather uneventful and almost ended without another incident. Almost. It was when Uther made a comment about a certain lower townsman being suspicious and reeking of sorcery that did it.</p><p>Uther was taking his customary sip of wine after accusing an innocent person of something they hadn't done when the corner of his cloak burst into flames. The orange blaze quickly crawled up the article of clothing and Uther began flopping around on the floor like a fish. Arthur leapt up to grab a wine jug and the knights surged forward to help.</p><p>And Merlin swore he heard Morgana chuckle internally at the panic.</p><p>*</p><p>Merlin burst into the court physician's chambers, knowing Gaius was out at the market. Morgana trailed in after him and shut the door softly as he whirled around.</p><p>"Morgana, you can't keep setting Uther on fire every time he's a hypocritical simpleton."</p><p>"If that were the case, he would be aflame constantly."</p><p> Merlin closed his eyes and released a long puff of hair from his nose before he opened them again.</p><p>"You know what I meant." He crossed his arms at the pouting sorcerress. She started to fiddle with a bottle on Gaius' work table before responding.</p><p>"I'm doing him a favor really."</p><p>Merlin made a face that said he found that hard to believe.</p><p>"And how exactly do you suppose that?" Morgana tilted her chin up and answered in a very matter of fact tone.</p><p>"My flames are only preparing him for the ones he'll endure after he dies."</p><p>*</p><p>Arthur rode into Camelot under the cover of nightfall, two rabbits tied in a sack behind him. He loved to go on night hunts all to himself at times to just relax. Sometimes all he needed was the thrill of trying to kill in the dark by using his natural skill to feel at peace, odd as that may sound. Something about the total blackness during a hunt always felt so welcome to him. And it was because of the darkness surrounding him that he noticed the light coming from the spot in a castle tower where Lady Morgana resided. His cheery mood dissipated. What could be keeping her up so late?</p><p>The Prince felt his face flush as his thoughts turned to a possible answer. He wasn't a stupid man, and he had eyes. The little looks he would see Morgana and Merlin send each other were glaringly obvious. And though Arthur had already warned his servant of getting involved with the King's Ward and thought he had more sense that to do it, it looked like those warning had clearly been ignored.</p><p>Arthur kicked his horse into a faster trot and swiftly dismounted when he reached the square, rabbits forgotten in his haste. He barley felt the burn in his legs as he jogged up the stairwell and hurried to Morgan's door. Upon reaching it he pressed his ear to it to listen for any sounds that confirmed his suspicions.</p><p>Sure enough, a distinct male voice could be heard along with a feminine giggle. Arthur recognized the voice as Merlin's and felt himself nearly boiling with rage. Annoying as she may be, Morgana was like a sister to him and he felt it was almost his responsibility to protect her propriety. Which certainly meant she needn't have any man in her chambers at this time of night, least of all his man-servant.</p><p>That was the last thought that crossed the Prince's mind before he swung the door open and stormed in, prepared for a terrible sight. His shout of protest died on his tongue when he saw the scene in the chambers. Or rather, the lack thereof.</p><p>Merlin was there all right, but he was sitting across from Morgana, a checkered board with little carvings on the table between them. They both looked up at his entrance and while Merlin gave him a sheepish grin, Morgana took on her usual demeanor for whenever the blond appeared: annoyance, with just the slightest hint of patronising, not that Arthur would be able to recognize it.</p><p>"Still haven't learned how to knock?" A dangerous brow pinned Arthur to the spot and his anger quickly morphed into annoyed confusion. So what if he was wrong about the why, he was right about the who. And the who still didn't belong in Morgana's chambers.</p><p>"What's he doing in here?" He pointed a finger at the dangly boy toying with a piece of the game. Morgana rolled her eyes heavenwards and waved a hand over the board.</p><p>"What does it look like, Arthur? I'm teaching him to play chess."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"Because he's much smarter than you give him credit for," Morgana turned back to the face her opponent with a muttered, "Plus I was bored and didn't want to wake Gwen."</p><p>She moved a horse-shaped piece into a little square and decided to act like Arthur wasn't there as she and Merlin continued their game. Arthur wasn't one to be ignored, however. And he didn't necessarily believe Morgana so he walked up to hover over Merlin's shoulder; he'd see if the boy really had been learning. He squinted as Merlin knocked over one of Morgana's white pieces.</p><p>Judging if the servant knew the game would have been a lot easier if the blond himself actually knew how to play.</p><p>Instead, he merely pretended to evaluate by way of grunting in a thinking manner every time a piece was knocked about. After he was thoroughly sure he had no clue what was going on with the game's progress he decided Merlin still ought not be in his nearly-sister's room. He straighted and jut out his chin accordingly.</p><p>"My servant isn't your entertainment, Morgana. And he's no place in your chambers at this ti-" He was rudely cut off by the ravenette.</p><p>"Oh hush! I'll send him to tuck you in after we've finishes this match." Morgana waved him off without even looking up. The Prince flushed a bright red at such a dismissal. She was treating him as if he were a petulant child! He further reddened when Merlin snorted.</p><p>Arthur glared at the boy and had a flash of satisfaction when the servant had the decency to look cowed and fix his gaze firmly to the table. Perhaps Arthur should leave him just so he could have the joy of making Merlin tell him of his loss when the boy arrived in his chambers: there was no way he could win against Morgana's sharp mind. Yes, that was a terrific idea.</p><p>"Fine, but only this round. And if you take too long do not think for a second I will hesitate to come drag you out myself." It was directed towards Merlin but Morgana was the one to return the statement with a look oozing exasperation. She leaned back in her chair and waved her hand about.</p><p>"Yes, yes, we get it Arthur. Now run along so I can beat him more quickly, hmm?" The Ward said much too sweetly. Then she had the audacity to add a thin-lipped smile at the end of the statement.</p><p>Arthur opened and closed his mouth several times to shoot back a stinging retort. He clamped it shut when he realized he hadn't one. Morgana turning her fingers down in a mock wave while saying "Bye bye" was what augmented his utter failure of wit.</p><p>Flustered, the blond stomped away without another word, slamming the door shut on his way out. It was only when the angry steps could no longer be heard that the two magic users left behind released twin sighs of relief. Merlin slumped back in his chair and muttered a spell that had his magic book floating out from under Morgana's bed. It had been shot there as soon as heavy steps and harsh breathing were heard in the corridor.</p><p>"That was close," The warlock breathed as the book landed on the board with a soft thump, wooden pieces already swept to the side. Morgana shrugged as she flipped to the page they had been studying before being interrupted.</p><p>"Maybe, but Arthur's stupidity and stubbornness always make for an excellent back up plan." Merlin laughed and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table.</p><p>"True, but it was still risky. I've no idea how to play chess Morgana," She tossed him a mischievous smile.</p><p>"Neither does Arthur. I tried to teach him once when we were children, he insisted I was making the rules up as we went." She smiled at the memory. Arthur was only slightly less hot-headed now than when he was younger, and all the same tactics still worked to get him into a frenzy.</p><p>Merlin chuckled and brought his chair closer to hers so they could both better see the words of the page. It appeared they had stopped at a spell for turning a man into a frog. Merlin aimed a sideways glance at his companion. Morgana's eyes were gleaming and she had that certain smile she always had when she was thinking of tormenting Arthur.</p><p>Merlin shook his head softly as he already knew the process it would take to convince the sorceress not to turn the prat into a slimy amphibian.</p><p>*</p><p>"And what do we call the Prince?"</p><p>"Prat, clotpole, or dollophead."</p><p>Merlin grinned and clapped George about the shoulder. The other man gave him his best impression of a smile, and while it looked very forced Merlin had come to realize it wasn't to be worried about. The smile was genuine, but George was just a very serious person with an unusual way of expressing himself. The man told jokes about brass and Merlin had been so sure that he hated him at first. But after spending much time with him in the past weeks, Merlin and Morgana found him to be a nice fellow, if not a bit odd. Then again, that did work into their plan quite nicely.</p><p>That plan being to replace Merlin for the day. Well, not replace, merely trade out. And make Arthur go crazy by getting him to think no trade had transpired.</p><p>It was simple, really. All they had to do was convince Arthur that the snarky ray of sunshine that was Merlin was still his servant, in all forms except physical.</p><p>George was all too happy to do as they requested after they approached him with the offer of being Arthur's servant for a day. And so his training had begun. After that, the two sorcerers had worked their way through all the citizens of Camelot and payed them to pretend that George was Merlin and that the real Merlin didn't exist on a set day they were told. They hadn't even needed to pay Camelot's people as Arthur would most likely not see most of them on the date they had planned. But Morgana had been very adamant about it, not minding doing so at all. And why would she? It was Uther's money after all.</p><p>Only the five knights closest to Arthur, Gwen, and the Prince himself were getting no compensation. As well as Gaius, for the old man was very against their pranks, and Uther. It would obviously be a very bad idea to let the tyrant in on their plan. But all the others except the King and physician were eager to help. Merlin had even wrote to his mother about the activity and she had joyfully wrote back that she would be delighted to visit for the fun, claiming Ealdor was getting too dull for her taste without her boy around.</p><p>This prank would be the first Merlin and Morgana had involved anyone besides themselves in, as the usual tricks played upon Arthur always used a small amount of magic. But it fit in with their usual style.</p><p>Psychological warfare, as Gaius called it, was a favorite of theirs.</p><p>A sleeping spell to make the Prince think he had missed a meeting, Merlin adding a new hole to a belt and then shrinking it just as Arthur slipped it on, and Morgana was very fond of making birds have to empty their bowels anytime they flew over Camelot's Prince or King. Uther now reacted to birds as he would to any mention of magic. Morgana took advantage of this and would have the feathered creatures storm the throneroom on occasion.</p><p>But out of all they had done this was to be their best prank by far, and if all went well they were going to be using this tactic much more often. And now was the day to put it to the test.</p><p>"And remember, it's rise and shine, not early rise." Merlin patted down the jacket he was lending George while Morgana adjusted the servants neckerchief, also borrowed from Merlin. Camelot's sorcerers pulled back and made the key component of their plan do a spin as they gave him a once over. The man performed the action almost exactly as Merlin would.</p><p>"I think he's set." Merlin grinned and Morgana hummed her agreement. And with that, they were shooing George off to go wake Camelot's Prince, confident in his ability to uphold his part of the plan.</p><p>Now it all relied on everyone else to make out like he was the real Merlin and, most importantly, keep Merlin out of Arthur's sight for the whole day.</p><p>The servant insisted on staying around to watch Arthur's state of crisis that was sure to come, never one to miss a show. And what a show it was going to be.</p><p>*</p><p>"Who are you?" Arthur leaned up on his elbows and blinked the sleep from his eyes as he watched a man walk around his chambers.</p><p>"Your underappreciated man-servant." The stranger shot back.</p><p>Arthur fully sat up at that. Perhaps he was still dreaming. "My man-servant? Where's Merlin?"</p><p>The man regarded him with a strange stare as he opened Arthur's cupboard.</p><p>"Are you feeling alright?" He asked.</p><p>Arthur gazed in bewilderment at the intruder. Now what was that supposed to mean? Of course he was alright, it was this person claiming to be his servant that wasn't well!</p><p>"I'm perfectly fine! Now tell me where my servant is!" Arthur snapped. "Did he send you after spending another night in the tavern?"</p><p>The skinny man dressed in Merlin's clothes took a tunic from the cupboard and closed it, a questioning look on his face all the while. He raised a brow when he spoke.</p><p>"Is this supposed to be a joke of some sort? You know you're not good at those, Arthur." George knew Merlin would be proud of him based on the pure outrage in the look Arthur was giving him.</p><p>The Prince threw his sheets off and stalked up to the lean man.</p><p>"What's your name?"</p><p>"Merlin."</p><p>"You aren't Merlin!"</p><p>"Well pardon me, I guess I don't know what people have been calling me my entire life."</p><p>Arthur's eyes bulged and he snatched his shirt away from George's hand. He pulled it over his head while giving the other man a weary glare. He then fully dressed himself and looked distrustfully upon the imposter in his chambers through the whole process.</p><p>The man certainly had the same mannerisms as Merlin, and he spoke like him too. But he neither looked nor sounded like the servant so it was preposterous to even propose the idea of him being the big-eared menace. But he was available, and Merlin was not.</p><p>"You will make do for now," Arthur fastened his belt and opened his chambers door before turning to point at his servant of the day. "But when I find Merlin rest assured he'll be in the stocks for a week."</p><p>The Prince strode out the door and the actor followed close behind, closing it.</p><p>"Whatever you say." He rolled his eyes from his spot behind Arthur, the action useless considering the blond couldn't see it. Though this didn't matter to George, who was utterly dedicated to his role.</p><p>Arthur scrunched up his face and ignored the comment, deciding the poor man must have a mental affliction.</p><p>That was one thing he had in common with Merlin.</p><p>*</p><p>It was Gwen who planted the first seed of Arthur's doubt in himself.</p><p>She was on her way to Morgana's chambers when she caught a glimpse of Arthur and his servant disappearing into another hall at the end of the corridor. Arthur's head reappeared around the corner not a moment later. He smiled when he affirmed that he had in fact seen the maid in passing.</p><p>She waited as he fully came into view and walked to meet her, George not far behind. The Prince nodded awkwardly when he arrived before her.</p><p>"Guinevere. Have you seen Merlin by any chance?"</p><p>Gwen adjusted the basket of clothes at her hip and schooled her features into puzzlement rather than amusement, looking between the two men. Then came the words she had been reciting in her mind all morning.</p><p>"You're looking for Merlin?" She put a good amount of emphasis on the name. Arthur furrowed his brow at the response.</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>Gwen tried not to focus on how he looked like a confused puppy and let both her eyebrows raise high, nodding to George.</p><p>"That Merlin?" A hint of laughter could be heard in her voice. That laughter almost escaped when Arthur's eyes bulged.</p><p>"Wha... This isn't Merlin!" The blond threw his arm out to gesture to his companion. Gwen bit her lip and looked at Arthur as if he had gone insane. Her wide eyes flicked to George, who only shrugged as if to say he had no clue what was wrong with the Prince either.</p><p>Arthur practically had whiplash from the speed at which his head when back and forth between the two of them. Gwen smiled a nervous smile when he gave her his full attention again.</p><p>"You surely cant believe this is Merlin?!!" He nearly shouted in bewilderment. Gwen stared back at him to look as if she were trying to think of something to say. In the end, the maid tilted her head and kept her concerned mask in place as she delivered her final lines.</p><p>"Right, well I've got to go. Good luck with finding... Merlin. I'll see you and..." She scrunched her eyebrows and once again glanced to George. "... Not-Merlin around."</p><p>With that, she sidestepped around the frozen in shock Prince and rather hurriedly walked away, shaking her head.</p><p>Arthur might have noticed the sound of her muffled giggling further down the corridor if it wasn't for the leaps his mind was taking to make sense of what had just happened. He stayed staring off into space until George waved a hand in the blonds face. </p><p>Camelot's Prince snapped to attention and fixed the servant with a suspicious glare. He wasn't Merlin, absolutely not. Gwen and this nameless buffoon were simply confused. There was absolutely no way this sarcastic, and frankly terrible servant was the same boy who annoyed Arthur daily for the past three years ..... wait...</p><p>Arthur blinked.</p><p>At that moment, a guard rudely interrupted the Prince's epiphany to tell him that Uther required his presence at a meeting. Arthur blankly followed the guard and side-eyed his servant as they walked. The dark-haired boy simply smiled a small smile that clearly stated he had no clue what the blond expected of him.</p><p>Arthur wasn't sure himself of what he expected by the time they made their way into the throneroom. But his thoughts soon shifted as he joined his father and some higher-up knights at a large table with a map upon it. Though not enough that he didn't notice the small wave his current servant sent to the lady Morgana at her spot where she leaned against the wall. Or the knowing smile she sent back.</p><p>That was a usual ritual for Merlin and the Ward, Arthur noted with ever building confusion. A comment about patrolling the eastern border caught the Prince's attention and he quickly forgot about the conclusion he was forming.</p><p>And he obviously missed the way Morgana eyed the rafters, where an amused Merlin was hiding. The wizard stayed silent as a mouse through the whole meeting, which turned out to be a short affair. It lasted only half an hours time at most. And it certainly didn't end early because Uther called it to a hasty halt when a crow appeared in one of the large windows. And Morgana absolutely did not summon said crow.</p><p>Everyone was filing out of the throneroom until only the Prince, his servant, and the King's Ward were left waiting to leave. George made his way for the door while Arthur swiftly pulled Morgana to the side. She pretended to be displeased by the inconvenience.</p><p>"Arthur, what is the meaning of this?" She asked as she pulled her arm from his grasp.</p><p>He ignored her question and proposed one of his own, casting a glance to his manservants retreating backside.</p><p>"My servant, doesn't something seem strange about him?"</p><p>Morgana didn't miss a beat. "Merlin has always been strange."</p><p>"Obviously, but that's not - so you believe it too!" The Prince's outburst had Morgana quirking a black brow.</p><p>"What exactly am I believing?" Arthur threw a thumb over his shoulder to point at George. "That he's Merlin!"</p><p>The Ward peered around him to peek at the dark-haired man and knit her eyebrows together.</p><p>"Because he is?" She was giving him that look that meant she thought he was the most stupid person she had ever known. </p><p>"No he isn't! You've all gone mad!"</p><p>"The only mad one here is you, Arthur."</p><p>The blond flushed at the accusation he was coming to suspect to be the truth and sputtered for a retort. But as usual, his mind was blank. Morgana's immaculate brow steadily rose higher with every second he spent wracking his brain for some smart quip. It was getting truly embarrassing when his saving grace came in the form of an unfamiliar feminine voice catching Morgana's attention. She abandoned her scrutinization of her brother in favor of looking to the doors of the large hall they were in, the voice coming from that way. Thankful for the interruption, Arthur followed her gaze.</p><p>He was surprised to see the owner of the voice talking with his servant. The woman was fairly short and judging by her clothes, seemed to be of poor status. Yet something about her was familiar to Arthur. He puzzled over where had could have seen her before as he didn't recognize her as a citizen of Camelot. It was when he caught sight of her pale eyes that he knew who she was.</p><p>Merlin's mother. Arthur tried to recall her name but it escaped him. Evidently, Morgana had no such problem.</p><p>"Hunith!" She exclaimed before striding over to the pair by the doorway. The shorter woman turned and greeted the Ward with a broad smile and an embrace.</p><p>Not wanting to appear rude and ignore their guest, Arthur joined the trio with a curt nod to the village woman.</p><p>"What brings you to Camelot?" Morgana asked the question ping-ponging around the Prince's mind. The last time the woman had come to the kingdom had been because her village was threatened by thieving brutes. Surely they hadn't returned? Hunith apparently read the worry on their faces and quickly soothed them.</p><p>"It's been all too quiet in Ealdor. I thought a change of scenery might do me some good, and besides..." She turned to cup George's face in her hands. "It's been far too long since I've visited my darling baby boy."</p><p>The man pulled through with his acting abilities and blushed at the cooed term of endearment. Morgana smiled sweetly. Arthur balked.</p><p>No way. How could she believe this person to be her son?! She was just as mad as the others. She had to be. For God's sake, the man didn't even have Merlin's gigantic oafish ears!</p><p>Arthur realized he had blurted these thoughts aloud at the stares the other occupants of the room were giving him. So much for not seeming rude.

He paled when Hunith's eyes transitioned from shock to anger and not-Merlin clutched his mother's arm while Morgana started to slowly back away, inching towards the doorway. The boy was rambling before Arthur could utter a syllable of an apology.</p><p>"Mother please, he doesn't know what he's saying! He's been acting strange all morning and -"</p><p>Hunith was hearing none of it and pried her arm from the man impersonating her son with a suspicious amount of gentleness. She stalked up to Arthur with a finger pointed up vehemently, right under his jaw. Her words started calmly enough.</p><p>"I have had enough of your behavior, especially towards my son. I've seen the rude way you speak to him and I've heard all sorts of stories from the letters I receive from him. And I'm sick of it!" Her voice grew as steadily as her rage. "I understand that you're a spoiled little bloke who's probably never had to endure a hard days labour in his life! But that's no excuse to be a prat!" Arthur gulped and his wide eyes quickly flit to who he was now eighty-five percent sure was Merlin. His companion looked terrified on his behalf and just as fearful of saving him from the tirade. Desperately, Arthur snapped his head to lock eyes with Morgana. She was leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed, mildly amused by his embarrassment.</p><p>A shout had Arthur snatching his gaze from his sister to behold the fierce mother glaring up at him.</p><p>"Don't look at them, they can't help you!" The firecracker of a woman proceeded to actually yank him down by his ear so he was forced to meet her at eye level. "Listen here, Arthur Pendragon. My son is the best servant you've ever had and will ever have. I know this for a fact because I raised him! And you better start giving him the treatment he deserves, got it?" The prince hurriedly nodded as well as he could with the vice grip she had on his ear. Hunith had him meet her unflinching glare a moment more before she released him and pointed to a corner of the huge room.</p><p>"Good. Now go think about what you've done. To Merlin or anyone else. Tomorrow, you better have a mighty good apology ready." She said coldly. Arthur simply blinked and tried to process how his day had come to this. He also realized how brave Merlin truly was if he had endured that evil eye growing up. He shuddered at the though of experiencing a truly enraged Hunith.</p><p>"Well, are you going to do as you're told or not?" Hunith's clipped tone snapped him out of the horrible thought. Eager to escape her fury, he rushed to the selected corner and kept his eyes firmly fixed on the crease where two walls met, feeling the mothers burning gaze like a flame on his back. How could such a kind woman be so terrifying?</p><p>He felt her eyes leave him before he heard her address her supposed son.</p><p>"Right. Come along Merlin, I'd love to meet those lovely knights you've told me all about!" Her cheery smile and voice would never give a clue to the demeanor she had had just seconds prior. George was still so startled by it that he merely nodded as the woman slipped her arm through his.</p><p>Arthur listened to their shuffled steps but didn't dare take his eyes off the wall, fearful of what might happen if he did.</p><p>Morgana uncrossed an arm to hang down as the pair approached, Hunith did the same and their hands met in a low high-five as she passed out the door with George. The duo disappeared down the hall as Morgana peeked a look at Arthur in his time-out. She smirked and remembered how many times she has seen the same exact view during their childhood. Resisting a laugh, the sorcerress left down the hall to join her partners in crime.</p><p>And far above the punished Prince, Merlin had a hand clamped over his mouth with tears streaming down his face, shaking with silent laughter. He barely managed to keep himself muffled as he ran off before he could burst with laughter and surely blow his cover.</p><p>*</p><p>"Oy, what's the matter Princess?"</p><p>Arthur shot Gwaine a dirty look as he climbed up from the grass. It was the fifth time the smiling drunk had managed to knock the Prince flat on his back during their sparring. The other knights looked on with thinly veiled amusement and Arthur pretended not to notice. Gwaine did not. He was preening around like a proud peacock because of the rare victory over the Prince.</p><p>Arthur blamed it on his mind being elsewhere. Even as he rubbed his shoulder he couldn't escape the thoughts tormenting him, which consisted of Merlin's apparent apperance change.</p><p>He had come to the conclusion that he was hallucinating. Or that he had a sudden affliction of the eyes. It seemed the more likely scenario that a mass hallucination seeing as the whole kingdom treated his servant the same.</p><p>Arthur noticed this after eventually sneaking away from his time-out and deeming a stroll through the lower town a good method of clearing his thoughts. It had worked for a while. Then he caught sight of the new Merlin visiting the market with his mother. And the Prince was surprisingly less shocked to see all the clerks not seeing anything out of the ordinary with the servant. Arthur got close enough to eavesdrop for a period of time before he decided his time would be better spent doing something more useful. At least he hoped that's what Hunith's reprimanding look had meant. The Prince hadn't stuck around long enough to find out after he was caught.</p><p>And that's how the blond now found himself in the position of being the joke of the knights training session.</p><p>Shoving past Gwaine, Arthur walked up to Percival to use as a partner instead. The gentle giant squared up with him as the other knights paired up. But it was not a minute later that an unexpected side-step from Percival and an overexaggerated swing from Arthur had him eating dirt yet again.</p><p>Furious, the Prince spat out grass and was about to threaten the next person to start the inevitable mocking. But it never came. He looked up and behind him from his position on the ground to see Percival with his back to him, waving. The other knights had abandoned their training to do the same. Peering around the huge man, Arthur caught sight of two people on the hill of the field.</p><p>It was hallucination Merlin and his mother, walking Arthur's dogs. They stopped to wave back at Camelot's warriors before continuing on their way. The dogs rushed ahead of them but not hard enough to rip their handlers arm off with their haste.</p><p>Arthur blinked as he clambered up, astounded. It was true. He was hallucinating and that man was absolutely Merlin. His dogs never behaved as well as he was watching them do now for anybody except Merlin. Even the ones he had raised from pups didn't respect him as much as they did his servant!</p><p>Arthur was still so shocked by his conclusion that he didn't register Percival spinning back around to resume where they had left off, obviously thinking the Prince was prepared and waiting on him. What did register, however, was the pain after a clean blow to his abdomen.</p><p>He quickly deemed it enough training for the day after that.</p><p>*</p><p>Merlin crawled through the false wall of the armory with practiced ease as he made sure the coast was clear. After sneaking around for years, the day's sneaking had been a piece of cake.</p><p>And it had been so worth it too.</p><p>Merlin had had to bite back laughs all day at every instance Arthur was fooled. And he hardly survived the Prince's scolding from his mother. Oh, he would be smiling for weeks from that.</p><p>And smiling he was as he closed the hatch in the wall and placed a shield back to hide it's existence. It was almost nightfall and after George helped the Prince prepare for a night of fitful sleep, he was to meet Merlin, Morgana, and anyone else who felt like joining at the tavern for a job well done. And he was sure the Prince would be sleeping well tonight.</p><p>Gwen had met Merlin in one of his hiding spots earlier to inform him that she had seen Arthur on his way to Gaius' chambers, no doubt to ask for a cure to the sudden illness that had befallen him. They giggled together at the Prince's expense before Merlin set off again. They were sure Gaius had merely given the blond a sleeping elixir.</p><p>Merlin actually chuckled at the memory as he made sure the cover of his secret tunnel was secure. Merlin realized that chuckle had covered approaching footsteps when he turned to see the fool Prince walk into the room.</p><p>The wizard froze but the damage was done. He could not escape and Arthur was now staring at him with wide eyes matching his own.</p><p>Merlin thought perhaps he wasn't caught when Arthur look down to an empty bottle in his hand and then look back up to the sorcerer again. Arthur was so confused that no wheels were turning yet, but Merlin knew they would. He needed a distraction. Fast.</p><p>Arthur opened his mouth just as a shout sounded. It startled both men and Arthur whirled around just in time to see Uther running past, eyebrows blazing. Not a second later, a flurry of pigeons shot past the doorway. The shouts turned to pitchy screams.</p><p>Merlin forgotten, the blond chased after the King. "Father!"</p><p>Not believing his luck, the wizard rushed to the doorway and watched as the Prince ran through a trail of smoke and feathers before disappearing around a corner. He laughed at the shouts from Arthur and the screams of the King that slowly started to fade as they ran.</p><p>Merlin looked down the opposite end of the corridor to catch sight of Morgana appearing from an alcove, her eyes shifted from gold to green as she smirked at him.</p><p>Merlin grinned and laughed again in pure relief of his friend's impeccable timing. He would never complain about her arson habits ever again.</p><p>
  <em>Did you know I needed your help or was this just a convenient time to torture Uther?</em>
</p><p>Ever mysterious, Morgana gave no answer. Instead, she simply raised a slender finger to her lips and winked. She let her hand drift back to her side as she sauntered away, looking for all the world as if she had not just committed an act of treason.</p><p>Merlin shook his head with another small laugh and leaned more heavily against the doorframe as he basked in the saved prank and days accomplishments. He was also now looking 
forward to tomorrow even more than he had been before.</p><p>It was always fun to watch everyone try not to laugh at an eyebrow-less Uther.</p>
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